Katniss slept peacefully while Peeta quietly changed into his uniform. He held his helmet under his arm as he leaned over to kiss her awake. Her eyes fluttered open and widened as she jerked back into the pillow. Peeta bit his lip and jumped to his feet, apologizing profusely.

"It's just me, love, I'm sorry! I didn't even think- I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Peeta," she rubbed her chest and shook her head. "You just startled me. I guess you're going to work now."

"I'll be off this afternoon and we can have dinner before we attend the… woodworking meeting together," he cleared his throat and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"Are you going over to your mother's?"

"Probably. I might bring Prim back here with me. Or out to the meadow so we can talk."

"Be safe," he stroked her cheek with his knuckles.

"I will. I'll see you later." She leaned up to kiss him and his eyes slammed shut as he became lost in her kisses. Too soon for his liking, she was pulling away and he sighed as he slipped the helmet over his head. Katniss's smile fell and her eyes lowered to the blankets.

"I love you," he said, though it was muffled by his uniform.

As he closed the door behind him, he pocketed his gun and stared down at his uniform. He wondered if he would still be expected to wear this now that he was Captain. Duartyr didn't really wear a uniform and he knew some higher up soldiers never wore theirs. He couldn't help but notice how heavy it felt today. Like the uniform itself was trying to weigh him down and defeat him.

"I'm married to the Daughter of the Mockingjay," he muttered to himself. "And she will take this country by storm or fire."


Peeta froze when he saw how many Peacekeepers were crowding the streets in town. He was certain there hadn't been this many soldiers in 12 when he had left it. He clenched his jaw as he made his way to the Justice Building, ignoring how his new soldiers were harassing his citizens. He couldn't intervene and call attention to himself. Haymitch and Duartyr had both warned him to keep a low profile and pretend to agree with Snow's actions against the district. Unfortunately that meant he had to turn a blind eye to the men knocking old women down and kicking children as they rushed past.

Peeta's lip was bleeding by the time he entered his office. He had to hold back his angry words so many times that morning that his jaw ached from clenching so tightly. He rubbed at his face as he closed his office door and released a deep sigh. He was about to cross to his desk when he heard a sharp knock. It was two Capitol Peacekeepers on the other side and even though they showed Peeta the respect that was demanded, he could tell they still thought themselves superior to him.

"Captain Mellark, sir. General Thread is requesting to see you in his office."

"Right. Thank you, soldiers." He followed them across the hall and he shot them a look before he knocked on the door.

"Enter." Peeta shut the door before the two men could follow him in and he turned to face his General. Thread still wore the Peacekeeper uniform. The pristine white was already stained with blood this morning. Peeta felt sick and his eyes drifted to Thread's cold ones.

"You wanted to see me, General?"

"Yes Captain. As I understand it, your brother has elected to remain in the Capitol for some time with his young wife. The President will allow this as a favor to the Mayor, but he expects your brother to return to his work after the weekend is over. I trust you will deliver the message to him."

"Of course, General."

"Now the President has asked that you choose your Lieutenant today. It seems that you had a Peacekeeper in mind, though I was not aware of this. Who are you considering?" Peeta swallowed, his heart aching for Darius and his missing wife. He silently apologized to his poor friend as he shook his head.

"I hadn't really thought about it, General, to be completely honest with you. I assumed you would assist me in appointing someone upon our return."

"Well that's good," Thread's eyes gleamed, which disturbed Peeta. "I have several options in mind. Shall I call them in?"

"Yes sir, that would be fine."


The four men Thread had chosen were Capitol-born and clearly as ruthless as the General was. Peeta shuddered to think of any of these men being in charge of his home. How could he in good conscious leave his people behind to suffer at the hands of these men? It bothered him that everyone wanted him and Katniss to hurry to District 13 and leave everyone else behind. Wasn't it clear that Snow would retaliate if Katniss went missing? He had no doubts Snow wouldn't hesitate to burn 12 to the ground.

Play along, Duartyr had told him. Just long enough to get Katniss to 13 safely and then the rebellion can truly be launched.

Peeta ran his fingers through his hair and repositioned the helmet under his arm.

"Soldier, ah, Nezza?"

"Nerezza, Captain," the man hissed.

"My apologies. Nerezza. You carry no gun or blade, that I can see. What is your weapon of preference?" Nerezza's eyes, which were a dark shade of brown, very nearly black, seemed to glisten. He removed the gun strap from his chest and flipped it over. Peeta moved closer and could see a dozen small darts attached to the strap.

"It was a preferred weapon in ancient Rome," the soldier said, baring his teeth in what Peeta supposed was a smile. "These little beauties are dipped in poison. They can move almost as fast as an arrow."

"Nerezza does like his plumbatae," Thread said fondly. Peeta's brow furrowed at the foreign word.

"My name literally means darkness, General," Nerezza said, his eyes like black pools of nothingness. "That's what wrong-doers meet when they cross me and my darts."

"The other three prefer to use guns. Although Cadmar here prides himself on being able to cleave flesh from bone with every swing of his whip."

"I hear we have that in common, Captain Mellark," the one called Cadmar said with a cruel smile. "Surprising that someone born in District 12 would have such a skillset."

"I am not your average District citizen," Peeta said in a low voice. "Do not underestimate me, soldier." The four Peacekeepers looked surprised while Thread looked

pleased. The General folded his hands and rested his elbows on the desk.

"Thank you, soldiers. Please see yourselves out." The soldiers saluted Thread and Peeta and Nerezza shot Peeta a worried look over his shoulder. When the door closed, Thread gestured for Peeta to sit.

"What do you think, Captain?"

"They're undisciplined, General. Sloppy, even. Poisoned arrows? That's risky. And they clearly do not take well to authority. Who did they operate under in the Capitol?"

"Senator Snow," Thread said with somewhat of a smirk. Peeta's brow furrowed even further.

"Then I would expect more respect with their station. Since the moment I stepped foot in District 2, I have been questioned and doubted. I believe I have proved my loyalty to the Capitol time and time again, but what would you have me do to convince these Capitol men that my loyalties lie with President Snow?"

"Perhaps District 12 needs to be shaken up a bit," Thread said slowly. "People need to fear the Capitol again. There's been too much talk of rebellion over the years. We need to stamp that out. Make them realize they are lost without the Capitol. Like the assignment you took in District 11. These people need to be made examples of. It's District 12's turn."

"Fear is already rampant in this district, General. What you're speaking of would take away the necessary labor needed to keep the mines running. The mines keep the district running, and the coal is transported to the Capitol. Punish the men who work underground and we will have no one to mine for coal."

"I shouldn't be surprised that you defend these filthy coal miners."

"It's not about defense, General, it's about thinking smart. If you insist on making an example out of 12, we take away what little they have. Stricter curfews. Double the amount of floggings. Put them on TV, broadcast them live. Sow fear, General, more fear." Thread leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His expression was unreadable, his posture stiff and unyielding.

"Brilliant, Captain. I believe the President made a wise decision in promoting you. You are not as soft as you seem. They told me you were just a baker's son before I met you."

"Colonel Haemon made sure of that, General. I haven't been the baker's son I once was in a very long time."

"Well then," Thread stood and crossed to shake Peeta's hand. "Once we choose a Lieutenant, we will begin to cleanse this district of the filth that has rooted here. In the meantime, I want you to check on the improvements being made in the town center. Inform me if anything needs to be seen to."

"Yes sir." Peeta saluted the General and hurried back to his office. Once inside, he tossed his helmet onto the desk and collapsed against the door, hiding his face in his hands and resisting the urge to scream. He felt his stomach roiling at the thought of his people in such turmoil. His neighbors. Friends. People he had grown up with. His father's customers. People who had worked with Katniss's father. People he had attended school with.

He was the enemy, he reminded himself. Until they could leave, he was the enemy and he needed to play the part to keep Katniss safe. It always came down to Katniss.

Taking several steadying breaths, he stood and ran a hand through his hair. He put on a neutral face and yanked the door open, making the woman on the other side yelp in surprise.

"Miss Carter! I'm sorry I startled you. What can I do for you?" His secretary was holding a large box and it shook in her hands.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Captain Mellark. These are census records dating almost twenty years ago. General Thread said I need to start cleaning out the Justice Building but I didn't know what needed to be done with the records."

"I'll take them. Thank you, Miss Carter." He took the box from her and she nodded.

"There are two more, Captain. If you would like for me to bring them to you."

"I'll collect them from the Archives," he said kindly. He followed her down the hall and slipped into the Archives room, picking up the two boxes she pointed out.

"This is all of the records?"

"Yes sir. These are the only boxes that were never filed."

"I'll keep them in my office until we can decide what to do with them. Thank you, Miss Carter." She nodded nervously and sat behind her desk while he carried the boxes to his office. He set them against the wall behind his desk and nudged one with his foot.

"Census records," he muttered to himself. He would check on whatever it was Thread was referring to in the square and then he would return to rifle through these boxes.


Peeta was glad that his helmet hid his identity. He didn't want his neighbors to stare at him with hatred in their eyes as they were doing with every Peacekeeper. He shouldered his rifle and nodded to his soldiers as he passed. The medals he wore made his uniform even heavier but it signified his rank and station, so he would keep them on.

He rounded the corner and felt like he might throw up in his helmet. Dozens more whipping posts and gallows had been built, while large cages hung overhead. Peeta's knees nearly gave out as he moved closer and saw two small children in the cage. Their faces were pressed to the cage wall as they cried and pleaded for their mother. Peeta stomped up to the Peacekeeper who was laughing in the corner.

"What is the meaning of this, Soldier?"

"They broke the law, Captain."

"What law did two children break?"

"They stole from a market stall. I saw them run right past with the stolen fruit. I was told to lock them in the cage, sir, until they could be put on trial."

"Trial?!" If Thread was putting children on trial for theft, they were in more trouble than he thought. The soldier lowered his gun and bowed his head.

"Just give me your orders, Captain, and I'll carry them out. I swears."

"Release these children, soldier. Escort them to their homes and make their mothers pay for the fruit. If they can't pay, you will arrest the oldest sibling. These children are too young to be arrested. They can't do much with those scrawny muscles."

"Yes Captain Mellark." Peeta watched as the soldier lowered the cage and opened the door, yanking on the children's chains. He swallowed and closed his eyes, willing himself away from there. Anywhere with Katniss was fine with him. He couldn't believe what he was being made to do. And he had a feeling it would only get worse.


After he made the rounds in the square, he decided he needed to have a word with Haymitch and he headed toward Victor's Village. The only house that was occupied was Haymitch's and it didn't even look lived in. It was about as broken down as the rest of the houses.

He stomped up the porch and knocked sharply at the door, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. He didn't think Haymitch had any help around the house but a young woman pulled the door open.

"Captain."

"Purnia?" She beckoned him in and closed the door tightly. She put a finger to her lips and lead him through the house to the kitchen and down to the basement. Haymitch was speaking into a device, slamming his palm against the table.

"That's not good enough! We need to get to 13 as soon as possible. Why is she saying we need to wait three weeks?" He glanced up at Peeta and Purnia and nodded.

"Well tell your president that things are getting worse in 12. And they will continue to get worse. She promised that your district would liberate 12 first. The Mockingjay isn't going to cooperate if her district is in danger." Peeta turned to Purnia but she put a finger to her lips again and shook her head.

"Fine. I will tell everyone to be ready. A lot can happen in three weeks, Boggs. Alright alright. I'll tell them. Yeah, ok bye." Haymitch slammed the device down and rolled his eyes.

"Three goddamn weeks until they send a hovercraft to get us out of here."

"You were speaking with 13?"

"Yeah. Boggs is the Colonel and is Coin's second-in-command. He is saying they can't manage a good distraction right now and wants us fully prepared to run like crazy if we have to."

"They're afraid that Snow will bomb 12," Peeta said slowly.

"Well he didn't say that but yeah, I figure that's what he's thinking. Since his district has been through it before and all."

"Except 13 can survive underground. 12 can't. It will completely decimate our population."

"Facts I'm well aware of kid. Purnia, how about you make us some tea?"

"Just because you're keeping me here, Haymitch, doesn't make me your servant."

"Make some for yourself then. Will it help if I say please?" Purnia rolled her eyes but stomped up the stairs. They could hear her moving around the kitchen and slamming things on the counter. Peeta raised a brow toward the ceiling and Haymitch shrugged.

"Lyme says that even though Purnia is from District 1, she's in danger. The Capitol targeted Darius. No reason to think they won't do the same thing to her. Rye is out of danger for now so I'm keeping Purnia here until we can be sure they're not after her."

"And how long do you think she'll stay here, Haymitch? How long will it take for us to discover if Snow is after her or not?"

"That's another thing, kid. A lot of this doesn't make sense. Thread is acting like he is reporting to someone else. The Snows seemed divided while we were there, what with their separate parties and such. And Snow said he would give you and Katniss a month to move but Thread thought you were going directly to 2."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying it doesn't add up. Something else may be going on. I just don't know what."

"Well Purnia is a soldier of Panem. Thread will be looking for her soon. You can't keep her locked up here."

"Then we send her on to 13, like we did with Rye." Peeta shook his head in disbelief.

"You think she'll go for that?"

"She's been a part of the rebellion for years, Peeta. She knows a lot. And she knows what's at stake. I'm sure she wants to live. Yeah, I think she'll go."

"There's something else you should know." Peeta quickly told Haymitch what he had seen in town and what he had told Thread. Haymitch rose and patted Peeta's shoulder gingerly.

"I know it's not easy Peeta, but you're doing the right thing."

"Doesn't rebellion mean standing up to protect your people? I'm throwing them to the wolves right now."

"Rebellion means nothing if we don't have a compelling voice to speak out. And that's our Mockingjay. But we have to get her to safety and that's not here. We can't launch the rebellion until we are out of 12. You know that."

"I know that. I don't have to like it though." Haymitch nodded in understanding.

"How's Katniss?"

"If you're asking me if she's agreed to be your Mockingjay, I don't know. We didn't talk about it last night. And I had to leave early this morning."

"She's not just our Mockingjay, Peeta, she's Panem's Mockingjay."

"Except that the previous Mockingjay was murdered in his own district. Why are you in such a hurry to put her in danger?"

"She's the only one who can do this, Peeta," Haymitch pressed on. "You have to help her. You have to show her how much we stand to gain by winning this war."

"War," Peeta shook his head. "Peacekeepers are trained to be soldiers. We're trained to fight and defend. But I never thought I would see an actual war."

"It's how things change, kid," Haymitch said gently. "We have been silent for too many years. I'm not going to promise that bad things won't happen. Maysilee tried to make me promise her that we would be alright, the night before we went into the arena. I told her I couldn't make that promise. As she died in my arms, she said you can't protect anyone in an arena. And she was right." Peeta didn't altogether understand what Haymitch was talking about but the faraway look in his hazy eyes was somewhat disturbing.

"I need to get back to the Justice Building. I'll see you at tonight's meeting."

"It will be right here," Haymitch waved around the basement. "And I'm hoping that President Coin will make a speech on the holo so people can hear what she has to say."

"Alright. See you tonight." Peeta made his way back upstairs and nodded to Purnia, who was pouring the tea.

"See you tonight," he muttered as he exited the house.


He considered stopping into the bakery to see his father but he had a feeling Thread would be looking for him, so he made his way back to the Justice Building. His secretary was positively shaking when he entered and he cast her a puzzled look before continuing to his office. Two Peacekeepers stood guard outside his door and he frowned, reaching into his pocket for his pistol.

"Is there something wrong, soldiers?"

"A prisoner was brought in a few moments ago, Captain. General Thread said to chain her in your office and await your sentencing."

"My sentencing? What are the charges?"

"Poaching, Captain Mellark. On Capitol land." Peeta's heart started to race.

"Was he arrested with any evidence of poaching?"

"She was, Captain. A rabbit."

"I see. And General Thread is waiting for me to sentence her?"

"Yes sir. General Thread is gone for the day. He said to keep her in a cell overnight, and said you may carry out the sentence in the morning. Flogging or firing squad."

"Firing squad seems extreme for a poaching incident. As does flogging. Let me into my office so I can speak to the accused." The two Peacekeepers stepped aside and Peeta pushed the door open. It was a good thing he was gripping the handle, else he would have passed out in the floor. The young woman who was chained to his desk flipped her dark braid and gazed up at him with hopelessness in her grey eyes.


Happy new year! Don't hate me for this chapter- everything will be explained very soon! XOXOX